316 Karnal rice mills under lens, cops deployed

rveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, November 20

After the recovery of PDS (Public Distribution System) rice and gunny bags of other states in mills, 316 rice mills have come under the scanner of the district administration. The police have been deployed at the mills. Not a single bag of rice can be taken out of the mills or brought inside.

Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria has confirmed this.

After complaints of bogus procurement of paddy with the connivance of rice millers, traders and government officials, the district authorities, with the help of the police, conducted a raid on mills on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh assigned duties to all four Sub-divisional Magistrates (SDMs) to monitor the raids and file reports.

The DC has already confirmed that PDS rice belonging to other states was found in some local mills, but he did not disclose the quantity seized. He said the inspection was underway and would continue for some days.

Gharaunda SDM Gaurav Kumar said officials conducted raids on 29 mills in Gharaunda block and found old PDS gunny bags belonging to other states.

Indri SDM Sumit Sihag said his team checked around 18 mills in his block, but did not find PDS rice from the other state.

Rice millers, however, objected to the raids. Vinod Goel, vice-president, Haryana Rice Millers and Dealers Association, said the millers had requested the district authorities to allow them to send the milled rice to the state government. “We are awaiting a reply,” he added.